Rainbow Trails
by mayuralover
Summary: Summary: "You cannot touch another without being touched yourself. Likewise, you cannot leave rainbow trails on your soulmate without receiving trails of rainbow yourself. These are soul marks." -Anonymous - For AU Yeah August 2018, day 1: Soulmates. Non-Miraculous AU
1. After the Rain is the Rainbow

**For AU Yeah August 2018, day 1: Soulmates**

 **Summary: "You cannot touch another without being touched yourself. Likewise, you cannot leave rainbow trails on your soulmate without receiving trails of rainbow yourself. These are soul marks." -Anonymous**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Okay, so her soulmate wasn't really a jerk. She still felt a tingle on her fingers where she and her soulmate had brushed fingers, passing an umbrella from one to the other. The rainbow marks were already starting to fade, but she stared in awe until her skin was its normal color.

Marinette stepped over a puddle and pushed against the bakery door, eager to get into the warmth of the bakery.

"Hello, dear! Did you have a good day at school?" Her mother, Sabine, called out from her place behind the cash register. "What's got you smiling so much, Marinette?"

"Oh!" Marinette blushed. She thought back to the events of today and scratched her cheek with a finger. "About that…"

* * *

Marinette hoped that her second day of school wasn't going to be as bad as the first. Yesterday, she had yet again gained the unwanted attention of Chloe, the mayor's daughter and an arrogant bully, but perhaps trading seats (albeit reluctantly) would appease her? This was not the case as she stared at a blonde-haired boy leaning over her seat. The day before, Chloe had mentioned that a childhood friend would be new to their school, and although he was not her soulmate, he "adored" her. Chloe's words, not Marinette's.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Marinette cried out. The boy whipped around to face her. His startled green eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Oh, uh, I-"

Chloe and Sabrina laughed at the two. "See, Adrikins? Earning respect," Chloe sneered.

Marinette narrowed her eyes, and it all clicked. "Okay, I get it. Good job, you three. Very funny."

"No no! I was just trying to take this off!" The boy said, hands up and nervous.

"Oh really?" Marinette stepped around him and crouched down to look disdainfully at the sticky chewing gum on the bench, pulling out a handkerchief to lay on the gum. "Like Chloe," Marinette muttered. She ignored him as she sat down, and the boy glumly sat back in his seat next to Nino. Chloe's friend was just like her, and she shouldn't have expected anything else.

"Look," Alya said, showing Marinette her phone. On the screen was a photo of Gabriel Agreste, premium fashion designer of Paris.

Marinette gaped at the photo and scrolled through the gallery. "No wonder he looks so familiar, he's the son of my favorite fashion designer!"

"Daddy's boy, teen super model, AND Chloe's buddy? Ha, forget it," Alya said, ticking off the different attributes on her fingers.

Marinette agreed that having another person to torment her school days was unfortunate, but at least she had made a new friend, Alya Césaire, and after seeing her tell off Chloe, Marinette was sure to stick to her new and confident friend.

* * *

After the class session, Marinette and Alya put their things away to head to the library while some of their other classmates were going to have physical education at the stadium with Mr. D'Argencourt. Behind them, Ivan let out a growl and yelled, "Kim!" Everyone turned around to witness Ivan standing toe to toe with Kim. Kim had that smug look on his face that he always had when talking about soulmates. Ever since he found out that his swim team member Ondine was his soulmate, he made it a point to mock Ivan-the boy closest to his size-about not finding his own soulmate.

Marinette figured that the issue with soulmates just got more complicated the older a person was. Now a teenager, Marinette watched as more and more of her peers found their soulmates. At the same time, more and more of them also started falling in love with people they weren't soulmates with.

Case in point, her classmate Ivan harbored a longtime crush on their friend Mylène, and he didn't have the courage to let her know of his romantic feelings. Neither had found their own soulmates, either. So, even though Ivan boasted a size advantage, his silent demeanor made him a constant target to Kim's jokes and jeers.

Marinette glared at Kim just as a few of her classmates did, and angrily, Ivan stomped out of the classroom. She was the first person to speak out, "For anyone, soulmates are a sensitive subject, Kim! Not everyone has been lucky enough to find their soulmate like you have. So, shove off and leave him alone!" Marinette turned around and left to find Ivan. She didn't know what she would be able to do, but hopefully she could remind Ivan not to take Kim's words to heart.

 _Where could he be? Boys' restroom? Nope, I'm not checking there._ Marinette ran past the locker room and skid to a halt when she saw Ivan sitting forlornly against the lockers.

"Ivan?" Marinette called out. "Hey, you know what a jerk Kim is when he talks about soulmates. It's nothing new, so don't let his words get to you." She patted his arm in assurance.

Ivan gripped the note Kim passed him after the lesson. "Kim's not wrong, I don't have the courage to tell Mylène that I like her, and I'm no good with using words. Maybe I just shouldn't. She hasn't found her soulmate, and I don't want to ruin that for her.

"Look, Ivan. I think Mylène likes you, too. If you let your fear of soulmates prevent you from loving now, then you'll never experience it. Maybe you can't tell her how you feel with words, but you can always draw her a picture, or send her flowers. There's more than one way to show your feelings."

"Maybe I can write her a song?" Ivan asked.

"Oh, yeah! What girl doesn't like a romantic song written about her?" Marinette said, clasping her hands and smiling. I know you can do this, Ivan!" Marinette peeked at her phone and gasped. "Aren't you going to the stadium for PE? You're going to be late!

Ivan leapt up from the floor and patted Marinette on the back, leading them both out the door. "Thanks, Marinette! I really owe you one!"

Marinette laughed and yelled, "Not until you're with Mylène! See you later." She let out a sigh of relief; that went better than she had expected! She didn't talk too much to the guy, but her parents always told her to get along with everyone, and this was a step to getting to know her classmates better this year.

"Hey, girl!" Leaning against the wall was Alya, phone in hand as always.

"Alya! We're heading to the library, right?" Marinette asked.

Alya nodded. "I was coming to get you. You know, I caught the tail end of your conversation with the big dude. That was really nice of you to go after him. And what you did back in the classroom? That was awesome! You're on your way to becoming a heroine just like Majestia!"

"Aw, I don't know about that, Alya," Marinette said. "I just couldn't let Kim bully Ivan any longer; it didn't used to be that way. I guess he just let the fact that he's got a soulmate get to his head."

"On the subject of soulmates, have you found yours yet? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Marinette shook her head. "I don't mind. I haven't found mine yet."

"I haven't either! No one to share special rainbow trails with," Alya said, wiggling her fingers and giggling. "Maybe we'll find our soulmates this year!"

"Ha, maybe. Anyways, enough talk, let's head to the library!" Marinette said.

* * *

At lunch, Marinette and Alya were fast becoming friends-sharing their hobbies, likes and dislikes, and other general things about each other. Being the second day of school, the school administration had not let their students eat off campus yet, so the school yard was bustling with students. Across the ways, Ivan had led Mylène aside to talk to her.

Alya spotted them near the staircase and directed their attention towards them. "Is he confessing?"

"Oh, I hope so. He said he would write her a song," Marinette responded.

"Is he any good a singer?" Alya asked, glancing at Marinette.

"You know…I'm not so sure…I think he's into metal or something…and Mylène really isn't a fan of the genre," Marinette said with an uneasy look on her face.

"If he sings and yells at her, he might regret it, and this could be a disaster! We've got to do something about it!" Alya said.

"But it's a private moment between the two of them. We can't just go up to them and interrupt!" Marinette said.

"Well, no one else has any qualms about that." Alya pointed to the groups of students who had also noticed Ivan and Mylène on their own, and their curiosity was getting the better of them. "It's too late for that!"

Even from where they were sitting, Alya and Marinette could make out the yelling and loud music. She supposed that without the yelling, it would be a sweet song, calling Mylène 'serene.' But at the moment, Mylène did _not_ get the message. Jumping off the bench, Marinette bolted across black top. In her ears was a mix of rock music and the laughter of students at Ivan's confession.

"Mylène, Ivan!" Marinette called out. She stopped right in front of them, gasping for breath from her sprint. "I'm sorry to interrupt-but not really! Ivan, that's a sweet song, but maybe you should show her the lyrics to the song instead of singing it?"

Ivan was a little off put at Marinette's sudden appearance, but after seeing the crowd of curious onlookers, Ivan nervously handed Mylène the paper he had written his song on. The tension in the air was palpable as they all waited for her to read Ivan's feelings, and Mylène's smile grew bigger and bigger as she approached the end of the song.

"Oh, Ivan," Mylène said. "This is really sweet. Is this really how you feel about me?"

Ivan nodded. He didn't seem as nervous, seeing how receptive Mylène was to his song.

"I feel the same way!" Mylène said, giving Ivan a hug.

Now Marinette was a bit embarrassed watching such an intimate moment, but before she or anyone else could turn away, everyone let out a collective gasp. Where Mylène's hands touched Ivan's arms, a sparkle of color appeared. A slight light emitted from the rainbow marks on their hands and arms, signifying the first time soulmates had touched each other. Had the two never touched before? It seemed so unbelievable that having been classmates for this long, they had never had skin contact with the other.

"Mylène…Ivan! You two are soulmates!" Marinette cried, a hand over her mouth in shock. All around them, people were bustling and gossiping. Many of the students hadn't met their soulmates yet, so seeing rainbow trails up close was a surprise for them They certainly hadn't expected to witness a soulmate meeting on the second day of school

Overwhelmed with emotion, Mylène's eyes teared up. "I'm really glad you're my soulmate, Ivan. I've always had feelings for you, but I was always afraid that you weren't my soulmate."

"That's why I was afraid to tell you how I feel, Mylène. And Kim didn't exactly help," Ivan said.

Behind them, a voice called out. "I'm sorry, Ivan." The students had gathered around Ivan and Mylène, and they parted to reveal Kim, a sheepish expression on his face. "I was a jerk, mocking you for not finding your soulmate. I guess being the first in our class got to my head." Kim held out a hand. "Are we cool?"

Ivan looked from Kim to Mylène, who clung to his arm, her hands smudging his skin with rainbows marks. "Yeah, we're cool," Ivan said, accepting the offered hand.

* * *

After the romantic show they had all witnessed, Ivan and Mylène were showered with congratulations from students and staff alike. Alya joked that Marinette should be part of their wedding party for being their matchmaker, and Marinette laughed even harder when Mylène said she wanted her to be their child's godmother. Of course, Ivan's face grew red at her insinuation.

Ivan's show of courage inspired Marinette to be a little more courageous herself, and in the classroom, she proudly stood up to Chloe and took back her seat. "I'm not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloe, and neither is anyone else, so take your attitude and take it back to your seat." A definitive jab at the front row seat Marinette and Alya had previously occupied silenced Chloe and Sabrina quietly followed when Chloe sat down with a "Hmph!"

Marinette sighed happily at what a good day it turned out to be. Stepping outside, however, the pouring rain put a damper on her good mood. She stood under the roof of the school, debating on whether to wait out the shower or to suck it up and make a run for it. Holding a hand out, she decided it wasn't too bad-her home was literally across the street.

"Hey."

Marinette turned around to find Adrien Agreste right behind her, holding onto his school bag and a black umbrella. She frowned and turned away from him.

Disappointed that she was ignoring him, he decided to speak first. "I just wanted you to know, I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat. I swear." Adrien glanced at the ground, taking a breath before continuing. "I've never been to school before; I've never had friends. It's all sort of...new to me."

Adrien's unsure voice was what made Marinette turn to look at him. He didn't seem too confident now. Where was the rich, teenage model she thought he was? Perhaps she was wrong about him.

"You know, I saw what you did for Ivan-gave him a pep talk so he would confess to that girl, Mylène, was it?"

"You saw that? I thought Alya was the only one."

"I sort of snuck away from Chloe to catch my breath in the locker room. I didn't realize she was such a handful at school. Anyway, I didn't realize Ivan was in there. Or that you would come, too. You're a really good friend to him and even matched him to his soulmate!"

Slowly, Marinette smiled. Here was a boy she didn't know and rebuffed, singing her praises for just talking to someone who needed the advice. "I didn't really do much, just what anyone else would have done."

"Well, you were the first one to react, and that means something. I think you've become a hero to them," Adrien said.

There was that word being thrown around again: _hero_. Marinette blushed and looked back at the ground, drawing imaginary patterns with her foot. She returned his gaze and said, "You know, I never properly introduced myself. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And I'm really sorry for misjudging you about the gum thing. I shouldn't have said that you were just like Chloe. And, uh, welcome to Francois Dupont School!" Marinette offered her hand in greeting.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Adrien Agreste, though I think you already know that," Adrien said, making to return the handshake, but a car horn caught them both off guard. They both jumped and turned to see a silver sedan parked at the curb. "Oh, that's my bodyguard. Sorry, I've got to go."

"No worries. I should get going, before the rain comes down any harder," Marinette said, pulling her jacket closed around her.

Adrien frowned and looked at her. "Is your house far away?" He asked.

"It's right across the street, actually." Marinette pointed to the bakery on the corner.

"Still, I can't just let you go out in the rain with no protection." He opened his umbrella and offered it to her. "Take it."

Adrien's earnest expression won her over, and she made a grab for the handle. Her fingers grazed over his as he passed the umbrella to her, but that was enough. A soft, iridescent light shined from their fingertips, and rainbow trails on her knuckles and his fingers appeared. Marinette's jaw dropped, and she became mesmerized at the colors, not unlike the shimmer of an oil slick. Marinette was so surprised that she jolted the umbrella, accidentally pressing the button and closing herself underneath. Marinette squeaked in surprise, and she heard Adrien's ringing laugh at her antics.

"Is this real?" Adrien whispered after catching his breath. Marinette quickly opened up the umbrella again, and Adrien held out his hand between them. "We're really soulmates?"

Marinette held up the umbrella higher, showing him her knuckles. "I guess we really are."

Adrien had no shame in grabbing her wrist, pulling her closer to him, and she blushed at the contact. Their skin alighted with more colors, and now she truly understood the wonder of rainbow trails. People didn't embellish the truth, and Marinette truly believed that she could stand underneath the umbrella with Adrien and stare at the colors for hours.

However, his impatient bodyguard had other plans and broke them from their reverie, sounding the car horn again.

Adrien gasped and pulled away. "I really have to go, but we have to talk about this later, Marinette."

"Oh, right," she said. She pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Put your number in, and we can text later?"

"Definitely." He gave her back her phone, and she smiled when she saw that next to his contact name, he had put the rainbow emoji. "I think it's better if we figure out what we're going to do about all this before we tell anyone."

"Agreed. I'll see you tomorrow?" Marinette asked.

"Most definitely," he replied, waving his rainbow stained fingers at her.

* * *

Marinette snapped back to the present, where her mother was patiently waiting for an answer. She knew her daughter was prone to spacing off and daydreaming, but something interesting must have happened for Marinette to be acting this way.

"Nothing of importance, Maman!" Marinette replied, shuffling her way towards to the stairs and hopefully out of her mother's attention.

"Oh, really? If you say so…" Sabine said, a smirk on her face. "By the way, did you bring an umbrella to school with you today? I didn't even realize there was going to be a freak shower; the weather was so lovely today."

Marinette blanched. "Oh, this? It's nothing, really! A fr-friend lent this to me because he noticed I was going to walk in the rain!"

Sabine's eyebrow rose. "He?"

Marinette squeaked at her slip of the tongue. "She-it-they! Gottagodomyhomeworklotsofitbyemaman!" She rushed up to their home, and Sabine quietly chuckled; her daughter was so easy to tease.

Behind her, her husband Tom came out with a tray of freshly baked pastries. "Was that Marinette I just heard?" He asked. "It sounded like she flew up the stairs in a hurry! Were you teasing her again, Sabine?"

"I'll tell you as much as I know dear," Sabine said. "It seems like something interesting happened at school today, but our teenage daughter won't be telling us the truth, anytime soon..."

* * *

Marinette shook off her shoes and leapt onto her chaise, squealing with delight. She picked up her phone and her itchy fingers wanted to text Alya so much! She just had to tell her new best friend that her prediction was right and that Marinette, at least, had found her soulmate in the famous teen model and son of her inspiration! She tapped on the "Contacts" and hovered over Alya's name but stopped. Right above Alya's name was Adrien's, with the rainbow emoji. In her excitement, she had nearly forgotten that they needed to talk. Before they told anyone the truth, they needed to sort everything out. It surely was a heavy weight for teenagers to bear so early on in their lives, but it was necessary before misunderstandings could be formed. If the truth had been revealed too early to the public and without proper explanations, she knew that with his fame, there would be a negative impact on Adrien's reputation.

 _Speaking of reputation, Adrien's a model and I want to be a designer. Will Gabriel Agreste think badly of me now that we're soulmates? Should that change anything? It really shouldn't, because rainbow trails are an act of fate! There's also Chloe being Chloe, and she'll probably make a big deal of it. Oh gosh, I'm overthinking this! We've barely had a conversation, and we only met today!_ _We'll figure this out._ Marinette thought.

Her first order of business was to text Adrien, and Marinette wasn't ashamed to say that she took a good 15 minutes to come up with the first text. This text would start their relationship, whatever it would be and wherever it would go.

 _Hiya, Sunshine, it's your rainbow mate._

* * *

A/N: Totally headcanon that she's going to call him Sunshine because 1) the fandom obvious and 2) after the rain, the sunshine makes rainbows.

I totally got this idea from seeing chrome makeup. Not going to lie.

I'm a real sucker for soulmate AUs (I have an ongoing one you can check out), and was inspired by all of the amazing day 1 stories I've read. The idea to start this story was basically to make a drabble series of what happens after they find out they are soulmates and the shenanigans they would get into with their rainbow trails, but I thought it would be nice to give you all the back story-the origin story! And of course, how can I resist the umbrella scene?

Also, if you would like a better look at the cover art (by me!) check out my DeviantArt, which is the same username: mayuralover.


	2. For All to See

**Rainbow Trails Chapter 2: For All to See**

The months following the life changing event were just a little bit awkward. They were strangers, but they were bound to each other by their rainbow trails; their circumstances didn't allow them to show any outward affection yet.

It was hard for teenagers to adjust to the fact that their lives had forever changed when they received their rainbow trails. Since their first meeting, Adrien and Marinette had had a quiet first month or so, keeping the fact that they were soulmates a secret. At school, they were amicable and slowly became friends, something natural that would have happened whether they were soulmates or not. It would have been too suspicious if they immediately got too close to each other. They found a few things they had in common, such as a love of video games and a competitive streak, and it was plain to see that they worked well together in or outside the classroom. Since Adrien and Marinette were keen to become better friends, it was only natural that _their_ new friends Nino and Alya would be friends, too. Soon, the four of them were their own unit. They got along well with the other students in their class, but group projects made of four people meant that they stuck with each other exclusively, unless the teacher assigned groups.

In private, Adrien and Marinette had decided that they would tell their parents first, then their friends and classmates. One day, Marinette had brought Adrien to her house to meet her parents, and the rest was history. Her parents adored Adrien and were ecstatic that they were soulmates. They understood why Adrien and Marinette were hesitant to tell Adrien's fashion designer father-his cold demeanor and strict personality made Adrien afraid to tell his father anything. "We support your decision, but you two should tell him as soon as you're ready. You don't want to be caught off guard without an explanation," her parents said.

* * *

It was a day like any other, a brisk fall morning when Ms. Bustier had worksheets for the students to complete. She handed the first person in each row a few sheets and told them to take one paper and pass the rest behind them. Marinette was busy searching her bag for a pencil, and Adrien didn't have any reason to turn towards her; he simply held the papers over his shoulder, waiting for Marinette to take them.

"Marinette, take the handouts," Adrien called out. He reached behind him even further and waved the papers up and down, brushing her bangs.

"I'm looking for a pencil, hold up," Marinette said, annoyed at his antics. The papers continued to wave in front of her face, and exasperated, she whined, "Adrien, stop that!" Blindly, she reached out in front of her to stay his hand and finally take the handouts from him. "There, happy?"

"Yup."

Marinette rolled her eyes and passed back the handouts. Behind her, Ivan took the papers, but an audible gasp drew the attention of everyone in the class.

"Ivan? Is something the matter?" Ms. Bustier asked.

Ivan gulped. "Marinette…your hand. Rainbow trails!"

"What?! What are you talking about?" Marinette said. She pulled her hand close, but Alya was quicker.

"Oh no, girl, let me see that!" Alya exclaimed. To Marinette's chagrin, she couldn't escape from her predicament. Alya had bared her rainbow trails for the whole class to see.

"No way, who is your soulmate, Marinette? You didn't touch Ivan, right?" Alya wondered.

"We're not soulmates!" Ivan said. He showed his hands to her. "See?"

"So, who did you…" Alya trailed off, focusing in on the boy sitting in front of Marinette. Adrien was trying his hardest not to draw attention to himself, but with the whole class staring at his back, that seemed impossible.

"Adrien, bro…let me see your hand," Nino said, motioning with the "come hither" gesture.

"…"

"Adrien."

"Okay!" Everyone was leaning forward in anticipation, because they knew that Marinette's soulmate couldn't have been anyone else. Adrien slowly lifted his hand, but impatient as he (and everyone else) was, Nino thrust Adrien's arm up. His wrist had a rainbow-colored smudge from where Marinette had stopped Adrien from waving the papers in her face.

"You two are soulmates!" Alya exclaimed. Her excitement was contagious, and the class broke out in a loud commotion. Ms. Bustier tried to calm them all down in vain; she knew how exciting this was and having two pairs of soulmates in the same class was extremely rare. Barely heard over the chattering was Chloe indignantly sputtering that Marinette didn't deserve Adrien as a soulmate, but neither Adrien nor Marinette paid attention to her. What brought the class back together was Alix shouting, "Hey, it's not glowing? Have you two already touched?"

Adrien immediately straightened. "We have, but we'd rather not talk about it. In fact, no one else but Marinette's parents know about us being soulmates."

Marinette continued, "Because of Adrien's status, if the press catches wind of this, they're going to hound us forever, and that's not going to be good for anyone."

They all knew that Adrien's fame was a draw to their school, but after a few weeks, there was nothing left to say about the Agreste heir finally attending public school. Having the students and paparazzi crowding around the school and their class once again would just be a pain.

"Alright, class. Now that we've settled down, a few things need to be said," Ms. Bustier said. "First and foremost, congratulations, you two. Having a soulmate is wonderful, and you two are lucky to have found each other. Second, and this is to everyone else, please respect Marinette and Adrien's privacy, and DO NOT take this information out of the classroom. That includes the Internet." Her eyes roamed around the classroom, making sure that no one was currently on their devices.

"Oh, don't worry, Miss. I would never put something like this on the school blog, but you might want to keep an eye on Chloe there. Who knows what she might put on social media?" Alya sneered.

"I might not like Marinette, and I'm less than thrilled about all this. But as far as Adrien is concerned, I'm _his_ friend, and I would never do that to Adrikins," Chloe said, crossing her arms and looking away.

Adrien smiled. He and Chloe may not be as close to each other as when they were kids, but he was glad that he could still count on her friendship. "Thanks, Chloe. And thank you, everyone. Media and press isn't what we really want to deal with."

"Now that that's all settled. Let's get back to those worksheets. I've actually been waiting for a student from another classroom to deliver some materials. I wonder what's taking them so long," Ms. Bustier said. "Let me give Mr. Martin a call."

"Hello, Mr. Martin? You've sent a student to deliver those materials, correct? Well, they haven't come by, yet-" At that moment, the door opened, and a girl walked through, hands full of folders and papers.

She looked a little sheepish as she placed the materials on the desk. "I'm sorry I'm late, Ms. Bustier, these are…heavy. Yeah." Her eyes darted towards Adrien in the front row, and he made eye contact at her, wondering why she looked so nervous. The girl squealed and nearly tripped on the way out of the room.

"That was weird…" Alya said. "Do you think she had a crush on Adrien? It's too bad that he has a soulmate! Oh my gosh, Marinette, you're going to have to tell me _everything_!"

Marinette blushed. "Alright, already. During lunch, okay?"

"Holding you to that."

Unfortunately, their lunch plans would have to wait. As soon as the bell rang, Adrien's phone buzzed with a call. Adrien had a confused look after he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Hello, Father? Is something the matter? You don't usually call me," Adrien said.

"Adrien, I usually do not dally in gossip and rumors, but when they are about my own son, I do have the right to be concerned," Gabriel said.

"What rumors are you talking about?" Adrien asked.

Gabriel sighed and replied, "I hope you are not playing dumb, Adrien. Social media outlets have been saying that you have found your soulmate. I had hoped that I had raised you better than to turn to social media before your own father about finding your soulmate."

"My soulmate? No, I still don't understand! Social media?!" Adrien exclaimed.

Beside him, his friends gave him worried looks, with an especially startled look from Marinette. How on earth did Gabriel Agreste find out about him having a soulmate?

"Adrien, this is a conversation better suited face to face. Whoever your soulmate is, please bring them with you when you come home from lunch. Your bodyguard should already be there to pick you up." With that final statement, Gabriel hung up.

True to his word, there was the silver sedan waiting at the curb for Adrien.

"What was that about, Adrien? Does he know about us?" Marinette asked.

Adrien shook his head. "I honestly don't know; I'll tell you what I know on the way to my house, but right now, you have to come with me."

"Wait, I'm meeting your father NOW?" Marinette shrieked.

"Yes, apparently the rumor that I have a soulmate is online. I don't even know how that happened." Adrien turned to Alya and Nino. "Sorry, you guys, we'll be back for afternoon classes."

"Do what you have to do, bro," Nino said.

"In the meantime, we'll see if we can find anything out on our end," Alya said. "If it's online, that means someone in our class had to have spilled it."

"I hope not, but I don't know who else to suspect," Adrien sighed.

The ride there was nerve-wracking, to say the least. Marinette wrung her hands in worry. "Maman and Papa were right; we shouldn't have waited so long to tell your dad. I hope he likes me…oh my goodness, I'm going to meet my favorite fashion designer."

"Yeah, your inspiration-"

"I am totally not prepared. This is one of the reasons why I wasn't ready to meet him and tell him we're soulmates!

"Marinette."

"He's going to judge what I'm wearing. Going to take one look at me and say I'm not worthy to be a model's soulmate-"

"Marinette!"

Marinette gasped and snapped back to the present. Looking down, she saw her hands clutched tight on her knees, knuckles turning white. One of Adrien's own hands lay on top of hers, the other on her shoulder to shake her from her spiraling thoughts.

"Adrien?" She whispered.

"Look, Marinette, I know this isn't what we planned, and it's scary. But you're not alone, okay?" Adrien said. "None of what you said is going to happen; you are a kind and caring person, and my father will see that. We'll get through this _together_."

"…Together…" Marinette said. She flipped over her hand and laced her fingers between his.

"You know, it's not too late to back out now; this is who you'll have to put up with," Marinette said, slightly chuckling to lighten up the mood. "My over exaggerations, over reactions, and awkwardness…"

Adrien raised an eyebrow and huffed. "Not put up with. Never." He pulled her closer to him and rested his chin on her head. "I'm grateful to have met such a genuine person like you. Soulmate or not, you're my friend, Marinette."

The rest of the ride was sat in silence but not the same uncomfortable and nervous silence as before. It was a silence of understanding and anticipation that despite what happened after meeting his father, they would get through it. Together.

* * *

Alya sat at the bench closest to the school entrance, a prime spot to look out for Adrien and Marinette when they came back to school. She swiped on her phone and looked over the hundreds of posts and some ten articles about the rumor of Adrien having a soulmate. She exhaled a long breath and continued to slog through useless information. None of the posts knew what they were talking about, but she knew she was so close to finding the original tweet or post that first fueled the rumor. During lunch, she and Nino had gone up to each of their classmates and even Ms. Bustier asking if they knew anything about it, and they all denied their involvement. Chloe was especially miffed, because Alya had once already accused Chloe of wanting to spread the matter. Alya couldn't blame her, but she needed to get to the bottom of this, for the future of her best friend and her soulmate.

"Anything on your end?"

Nino shook his head. Across from her, Nino was scrolling on his own phone, looking for anything they had missed. "Just the same thing. 'Young Agreste is taken?' 'Did Adrien Agreste meet his soulmate in public school?' And my favorite: 'Has the most popular model finally had his rainbow trails?' It's a good thing that no paparazzi was at school when Adrien and Marinette left, or else we'd be having a field day-and it's too soon to even rule _that_ out."

"That's as clickbait as you can get," Alya said. "Why is this so difficult! It sucks because the longer it takes for us to find the original, the more tweets and posts and articles there will be! It's an uphill battle, and we're slipping down the mountain as time passes!"

Nino set his phone down and took a bite of his sandwich, reminding Alya that she had her own lunch to finish. Her laser focus was a good thing most times and a bad thing every other time.

"Okay, you might be right, Alya, but we need to take a break. Look, there's still 20 minutes left of lunch, so they should be coming back soon. Maybe they'll know who's behind all of this, and we're just doing needless work."

"Fine…just one more search, then I'll finish my lunch."

"Alya," Nino deadpanned.

"I'm so close, I can feel it, Nino! I'll just…take a step back. Start over my search. No articles, no big news outlets-this rumor came from our school. I've already gone through the school blog, so I don't have to look through that again." She closed the various tabs on her phone as she listed them. "The quickest thing to do is to tweet, so I'll try Twitter. Let's search… Adrien…Agreste…rainbow trails…soulmate? Sort by oldest…"

Nino looked on as she narrowed down her search. He sneakily reached over to her plate to try to take some apples slices; he's seen enough of the girl's journalistic needs to know that she wouldn't noticed.

"Uh uh, don't you dare, Lahiffe."

Nevermind, Alya paid attention to _everything_. "…Sorry."

"A couple tweets from fangirls a few months ago… a few weeks… saying they wished they were his soulmate. Anything from today? OH!"

Startled, Nino sat up straighter. "Did you find something?"

"From Michelle Laurent at 10:45 a.m.: 'So Adrien Agreste has a soulmate already? Rainbow trails and everything! Totally taken-too bad it's not me!' This has got to be it! Nino, what were we doing at 10:45?"

"That's about 45 minutes before lunch? We were with Ms. Bustier, doing handouts. We had just found out that Adrien and Marinette are soulmates."

"THAT'S IT! She's got to be the one!" Alya shouted, dropping her phone with a clatter and slamming her hands on the table.

"Heart attack, Alya!" Nino exclaimed, clutching his shirt at his heart. "But who is Michelle Laurent?"

"Take a look. Recognize her photo?" Alya showed him the various selfies the girl had on her Twitter page.

Nino shrugged. "I mean, she kind of looks like any other girl, but she _is_ sort of familiar…Wait. She's the girl who came into class to deliver stuff to Ms. Bustier!"

"Exactly! And she was looking real shifty when she came in, like she had just discovered something! She totally had a crush on the sunshine boy!"

"Sunshine boy?"

"Adrien. You know, golden ball of sunshine? Kind of happy-go-lucky?"

"You know, that really does fit."

"Anyway, if Marinette and Adrien don't already know, we've got to tell them. And maybe even confront Michelle!"

"Who's Michelle?" A voice said behind them.

Nino and Alya were so caught up in their discovery that they didn't notice that their best friends had returned.

"You guys are back!" Alya said. "We found out the source of the gossip!"

"Is it one of our classmates?" Adrien asked.

Nino shook his head. "Nope, a girl named Michelle Laurent. She's the girl who came into class earlier, dropping things off. Remember how she looked really nervous when she saw you?"

"She must have been bringing materials to Ms. Bustier when she saw that Adrien and I had rainbow trails. Oh, we are such idiots; we're right by the hallway windows and had our arms sticking straight up for all the world to see!" Marinette said, smacking her forehead.

"No, girl," Alya said, "That was all me; I shouldn't have been so forceful. Sorry."

"Apology accepted," Marinette said. "So, are we going to do anything about Michelle? That was a real invasion of privacy, and if the soulmate thing wasn't true, it still would have really affected your reputation, Adrien."

"I'll send the info to my father, he'll know what to do without making a big deal about it. Alya, send me what you found?" Adrien asked.

"Of course. So…how was your guys' meeting with Adrien's father? Is he as scary as he looks? Or as cool of a designer as you say he is, Marinette?"

"Well, we didn't see him in his element, so I'll have to withhold judgement on how he works. But he _is_ intimidating and scary to talk to. No offense, Adrien," Marinette glances at Adrien and chuckles nervously.

"None taken-he doesn't exactly ooze friendliness," Adrien responds. "He told various news outlets that more information about "the rumor of a possible soulmate match" will be released in the upcoming weeks. The paparazzi can't touch me because I'm a minor, but there's still the possibility of school being a bit crazy the next few weeks. If we don't come out and prove our rainbow trails soon, my father's company might see a dip in sales."

"Because that's what is most important," Marinette mutters.

"So, let's say you guys have come out and are the talk of the town. What about angry and jealous fans mobbing you guys?" Alya spoke up.

"Well, it's no worse than being a celebrity. If Marinette and her parents agree to have her name published, their bakery will likely see more business. For the worst of the crowds and stalkers, that's what the police and restraining orders are for-so my father says. After a while, this will all blow over," Adrien sighs. "Hopefully."

"That means we'll have to talk to my parents about this. They were right about talking to your father before something like this happens!" Marinette said ruefully, slapping her forehead.

"Marinette, it's okay; no one could have predicted this to happen, and hindsight is 20/20," Adrien reassured her.

The ringing of the school bell caught their attention. Alya and Nino gathered their trash to throw away, and they all picked up their bags to head to their class.

"You guys go on ahead; we'll catch up with you," Adrien called to Nino and Alya. They both shared a confused look but nodded, waving goodbye to their friends.

"What's the matter Adrien?" Marinette questioned. Surely whatever he had to discuss could wait until they went back to her place to talk with her parents after school.

"Listen, Marinette. I know Father talked about proving our rainbow trails to the world and whatever, but if you aren't comfortable with letting everyone know about such a…private and intimate thing, I understand," Adrien said. "I'm used to being in the spotlight because of modeling, and it sometimes comes with a lot of unwanted attention from fans.

"Having bodyguards and restraining orders because of, shall we say, _overzealous_ fans aren't fun, and I don't want you to have to deal with it if it's not necessary."

"Stop right there, Adrien." Marinette had yet to look so sure of herself today, and the stern expression on her face halted whatever else Adrien was going to say.

"I'm not letting you face the wolves on your own. You said so yourself, whatever happens, we face it together. No matter the scrutiny or interview or crazy stalker fangirls," Adrien smiled at this, "I will take on this burden, too."

"Now, come on. We don't want to be late," she said. Marinette held out her hand, her expression so earnest and sincere, that he didn't hesitate to reach out to her. In that moment, it was just the two of them and the myriad of color that connected them.

* * *

 **Hi, all! I hope you enjoyed this second chapter of _Rainbow Trails_! I didn't plan on writing so much about how their classmates (and the world) find out about them, but it's more for you to read! I do have a bit more planned for this AU, so I hope you guys look forward to it. Please, please, please let me know your thoughts about this! I'm always more motivated to write when I hear from you guys!**


	3. A New Normal

**Chapter 3: A New Normal**

It was a tense couple of weeks after Michelle Laurent revealed Adrien's soulmate bond. To the outside world, it seemed like the usual speculation that surrounded the famous model. But to entrepreneur and fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, it was a rumor he could capitalize on to propel his fashion empire further into the spotlight. Though Adrien was used to the fame, Marinette had to be trained to act, speak, and carry herself in a certain way befitting of being associated with the Agreste name. With Marinette and her parents' permissions, she spent every day after school under the tutelage of Adrien and his father's assistant Nathalie. They discussed questions that the media and reporters would ask and fleshed out the details to the story of how they met.

They didn't have to embellish any details; the tabloids did that for them. After all, their rainbow trails match was the "meet-cute of the century" and "the cutest rainbow trails story in the City of Love"! However, Marinette inwardly cringed each time she would recount how they met - from how she had misjudged Adrien as a bully and yelled at him for "putting gum on her seat" at school to straightening out what happened and making up under an umbrella. Deciding that the true story would satisfy the media, Marinette – still worried about the soon-to-be wave of limelight – had Adrien promise to stick by her no matter what happened.

And true to his word, Adrien was with her every step of the way. When she momentarily froze on a question, Adrien would swoop in and answer for her. When she tripped in front of the cameras, he was there to catch her with a steady hand at her waist. (Which, to be honest, was always a selling point for gossip magazines because it depicted Adrien as the sweet prince of Paris saving his "girl next door" soulmate.)

Now it was November, weeks after any major interview or magazine spread, and Marinette's life finally took on a sense of normalcy. There were days when people would ask for a picture or autograph, and she would politely decline, save for some kitten-eyed kids she couldn't say no to. However, most days were just a mix of school, family, and friends. The paparazzi had grown bored of trying to follow two young teenagers with as much innocence as fresh snow, and Adrien's photo shoots didn't grab the attention of every jealous fan girl anymore. Closer to home, her parents' bakery still saw a lot of business, but it was for their famous pastries and bread and not to catch a glimpse of their daughter who was thrust into the spotlight.

Months ago, she never would have dreamed any of this happening, but now, Marinette couldn't imagine her life in any other way. The pressure and stress from being associated with such a high-profile family could have ruined any chance she had at a 'normal' life, but that wasn't the case at all. In the beginning, Adrien and Marinette may have been pressed by the media to show a growing soulmate relationship – like an onscreen romance evolving in front of everyone's eyes – but their family and friends reassured them that they had no obligation to do such a thing and to take their time with their growing friendship. They were teenagers, and sure as heck, they were in no rush.

Prior to meeting Adrien, Marinette had heard some people describe soulmates as a match made by fate itself. Others believed rainbow trails as a sign of ultimate compatibility. But to Marinette, it didn't matter anymore. Either way, she made her choice. Marinette chose to walk along the rainbow trails and now she couldn't wait to see what was at the end of the rainbow.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Though this doesn't apply to everyone, there have been a few comments that have popped up about my stories that I would like to address. Keep in mind that I'm only human, so please have this in consideration as you read.

If it wasn't already obvious, this is a personal headcanon for my own story. As in, in my head, this is canon. Though the characters written are from an existing show, these do not necessarily reflect mine perfectly. And likewise, just because I write it, it doesn't mean that I want it canon in the show, taking for instance the use of the name Sunshine.

For some reason, this is a majority of my comments that I have had issue with so let me bring this up directly.

In my first author's note, I go on to explain why I headcanon this:

1\. It's a generic and familiar nickname the fandom and regular ML readers are aware of, and

2\. My story is themed on rainbows and subsequently, rain and sunshine.

Again, this is a personal headcanon for my own story, and I completely trust Thomas in writing his Miraculous story to share to us. Whether or not he incorporates any fanon ideas, let me make this clear, if somewhat blunt:

I could care less what Marinette calls Adrien in the show, and I don't appreciate words being put into my mouth from others' assumptions. I'm writing it the way I want not because of the fandom but because it fits.

While I am open for criticism, please make it constructive. Again, I'm just a girl writing fanfic and to have comments say I'm doing something for some reason I'm not is maddening.

Now, with that out of the way, thanks everyone for your understanding! I appreciate all the support and comments about my story. If you would like to talk more about this subject and don't have one already, make a FFN account and message me! ?

For those of you who made it this far, my little treat to you is this: once the next chapter is edited, it'll be posted right away! It could be as soon as tomorrow, but no later than a few days!


	4. Confessions Pt 1

**Chapter 4: Confessions Pt. 1**

 **A/N: Welcome to what I'm calling the "second arc" of this story. The next few chapters explore their growing relationship as they learn more about each other in the popular style of 5+1 stories. Confessions AKA Five times where they confess something to each other and one time where they confess something to themselves.**

* * *

 _February_ , _la quatrième_ (the third year of collège)

"So, where are we going, and why did you have me make up a picnic basket? You didn't give me a lot of time in advance, so it's mostly sandwiches and pastries from the bakery." Marinette said. In fact, it was just at lunch a few hours ago when Adrien suddenly came to her and told her to bring a picnic basket of food, so that he could take her somewhere after school.

"Do you know what day it is today, Marinette?" Adrien asked. He took the basket from her and led them to the sedan awaiting them.

"Wednesday?"

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you haven't noticed the decorations around town – around the bakery! It's Valentine's Day, Marinette!" Adrien exclaimed. The shocked look on her face told him that no, Marinette didn't realize what day it was. Well then, what he had planned was sure to surprise her.

"You're taking us somewhere for Valentine's Day? That's so sweet! But… I completely forgot and don't have anything prepared for you!" Marinette slapped her cheeks in disappointment. "Ouch…."

"Hey, it's not your fault for forgetting. Besides, you brought the food, so we're even. Anyway, the only reason I'm so excited for today is because I get to spend Valentine's Day with someone for the first time," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his head and blushing a little. "I wasn't sure if what I had planned was going to happen. But, our tickets were emailed to me this morning, so we're good to go."

Marinette's eyes bugged out. "Tickets? Just where are we going?"

"If I tell you that, it won't be a surprise, now will it?" Adrien smiled. "Besides, you won't have to wait long; we're already here." Marinette was so absorbed in their conversation that she hadn't paid attention to where they were being driven. Ever the gentleman, Adrien stepped out of the car and quickly walked around to open the door for Marinette. She took his offered hand and lifted her head to glance at where they were.

" _La Tour Eiffel_?" Marinette questioned. "I suppose we're not going to either of the restaurants because we have our own food."

"You are correct - surprise! We're going to have a picnic at the top observation deck!" Adrien grinned. He led the way, and at the attendant, he pulled out his phone to show him the email with the ticket information.

"Thank you. Have a great Valentine's Day, you two!" The worker showed them towards a group of people waiting for the elevator to make its way down from the top observation deck.

After a short stop at the first and second floors, Adrien and Marinette stepped out of the elevator to a beautiful afternoon view of Paris, 276 meters from the ground. The top deck wasn't as crowded as Adrien thought it would be, especially being a Valentine's Day at one of the most famous tourist destinations in Paris. Maybe the Pont des Arts was busier; even though padlocks were banned from being placed on the bridge, it was still a popular spot for couples to visit.

"Wow," Marinette gasped. She ran towards the edge of the tower and leaned on the railing. "It's been so long since I've been up on the Eiffel Tower! Makes me feel like a tourist, being up here and all starry-eyed." She opened up her arms wide, as if to encapsulate the whole horizon within her arms. "But you know, you can't really get a scene like this from just anywhere."

"Agreed." Adrien quickly glanced at the skyline – he had seen it enough during photoshoots up here – and then focused his attention on Marinette. He was happy to see her so giddy and excited, and he knew that he made the right call in having Nathalie ask for express tickets to the Eiffel Tower on such short notice. Adrien didn't like to flaunt his fame or wealth, but it came in handy.

"Hey, let's get this picnic underway!" Adrien said. He set the basket down by the wall and started to unpack. First came out the blanket, and then two bottled drinks and some sandwiches.

Marinette sat down next to Adrien and grabbed a sandwich. She peeled back the plastic and took a large bite. "This is a pretty good sandwich, if I do say so myself!" Marinette winked.

Adrien bumped her shoulder playfully. "Of course, because you made them! They are delicious, though."

They continued to eat in happy silence until Marinette spoke up. "You want to know something about me that no one at school knows about?"

Intrigued, Adrien looked up from his sandwich. "Sure, what's up?"

"I'm still gushing over being here right now, but if you took me up here years ago, I would have freaked," Marinette said.

Marinette had never shown a dislike of crowds (besides the paparazzi who had tried to follow them before), so the fact that this was a touristy spot wasn't the case for a freak out. "What? Why?" Adrien asked.

Marinette took a deep breath. "When I was eight, I used to be so scared of heights. It's quite silly when—"

"When your room has a trapdoor leading to the balcony?" Adrien supplied.

"Exactly that. I would never go up there, and it took me a year or so to find the courage to finally go out there for the first time," Marinette explained. "But now, I can't believe I was so scared. Being up high is amazing – so freeing. It's like my cares are a million miles below. My problems feel so small when I'm up above everyone. My balcony is my favorite place to be now, and you saw all of the furniture and plants up there; I've made the space my own."

"Wow, Marinette. That's some secret! Being afraid of heights is nothing to be ashamed of, but you overcame it, and now it's one of your favorite things. I admire that about you."

"That's sweet of you to say, Adrien." Marinette hummed in appreciation, and the two returned to their food. After spending an hour eating and chatting about random things, they stood shoulder to shoulder at the railing to look out over Paris again. The sun was setting, and soon, the tower would be lit up with bright lights.

Adrien wanted to let Marinette enjoy her time up here, but he promised her parents that he would have their daughter home at a reasonable time. He cleared his throat to catch her attention and pulled out one last thing from the picnic basket. "Before I get you home, I wanted to give you this. You're a great soulmate, Marinette, and an even greater friend, so this is my token of gratitude."

Marinette hesitantly took the velvet box from his hands. She scared herself into thinking this was a marriage proposal – they were so young! – but was reassured after seeing the size of the box and feeling its weight in her hand. Marinette slowly opened the box and gasped in surprise.

A glittering charm bracelet sat on a bed of velvet. Silver beads made up the majority and intermittently, different charms hung from the chain. There was a rainbow, the classic symbol of soulmates. A spool of thread represented her love of sewing and fashion, and a cookie represented her home and her parents. The last charm was silver and showed three cursive letters: _MDC_.

"Oh my goodness, Adrien! I don't know what to say! I'm… I'm just speechless!" A personalized gift from her soulmate! Marinette felt her eyes starting to tear up.

"Say you'll wear it?" Adrien said, sheepishly.

Marinette nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I will!" She fumbled to get the bracelet out of the box, and Adrien chuckled at her excitement. He plucked the box from her hands and took out the bracelet, putting it back into the picnic basket. Marinette held out her hand for him, and he delicately clasped the bracelet on her wrist. She brought her hand up between them, and the charms made a pleasant tinkling noise, catching the light of the Eiffel Tower with every movement of her arm.

Marinette flung her arms around Adrien's neck and gave him a warm hug, appreciation bursting from her. "Thank you so much, Adrien. You mean so much to me, too, and I'm so glad to have you as my soulmate. I'll always think of you when I wear this. You've given me so much more to love about the Eiffel Tower and heights!"

Adrien smiled into her shoulders and squeezed her tight. He wished this moment would last forever. "Good. I'm glad I can give you more happy memories."

They finally released each other and made their way back down to the ground. On the car ride home, Marinette couldn't help but hope that next Valentine's Day will be equally, if not more, fun and memorable.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to let me know what you think of this, and please look forward to the next part~**


	5. Confessions Pt 2

**Chapter 5: Confessions Pt. 2**

 **A/N: Welcome back to _Rainbow Trails!_ Previously, Marinette confessed her prior fear of heights during a Valentine's Day picnic on the Eiffel Tower. What will happen this chapter?**

* * *

 _March_ , _la quatrième_ (the third year of collège)

"Ah, so this is the infamous balcony that paralyzed eight-year-old Marinette."

"I can't believe you remember that little detail, Adrien!" Marinette exclaimed, giving his shoulder a light slap. The two of them had been studying for one of their classes, but rumbling stomachs reminded them that they hadn't eaten since Adrien had arrived two hours ago. Marinette reached down to take the tray of food Adrien held up through the trapdoor and set it down on a small side table.

Adrien pulled himself up. And grinned at her. "Of course. I remember everything about you, Marinette."

Marinette crossed her arms and rose her eyebrow in challenge. "Okay, then. What's my favorite dessert?"

"Your dad's raspberry macarons."

"When did I start wearing pigtails?"

"Last summer, after your hair grew out a bit."

"Hmm... how about my favorite number?"

"You have a favorite number?!" Adrien said in disbelief. "I don't think you've ever told me that! Is it 4? Or maybe 12?"

"Ha, I'm joking! I don't have a favorite number."

Adrien laughed. "I don't either, but you know what my favorite letters of the alphabet are?"

"Is this going to be something cheesy?" Marinette asked.

"It's _U_ and _I_ ," Adrien said, giving Marinette a cheeky wink.

"Yup, very cheesy," she chuckled. "But that's one of the things I like about you."

"But you love the cheese! Anyway, it's really nice out here. No wonder you suggested coming out here to eat lunch," Adrien said, taking one of the sandwiches from the tray and biting into it.

Marinette nodded. "It sometimes gets a little stuffy downstairs with the heat from the bakery. So, it's nice to get some fresh air."

"And with a view fit for a princess."

"Oh hush, you. It's no Eiffel Tower, though," Marinette said, recalling their Valentine's Day picnic at that iconic landmark.

"Well, the Eiffel Tower doesn't have all this flora! Do you really take care of all of these?" Adrien asked, sweeping his arm before him at some half-dozen potted plants.

"Oh, you just reminded me that I haven't watered them today." Marinette stood up from her seat and fetched the watering can from a nearby table. "They aren't too much trouble unless I forget to water them at least two days in a row."

"You have more of a green thumb than I do – I can't seem to keep a plant alive to save my life!" Adrien exclaimed dramatically. "But seriously, within a week or two of getting a plant, it just dies; all I do is water it!"

"Not enough water? Or too much?" Marinette thought aloud, going to each of her potted plants and giving them water.

"I once had a cactus. It died after a week and a half. I think it's just my bad luck," Adrien pouted.

Marinette set the watering can back on its table and sat down next to Adrien again, bumping shoulders with him. "Well, if you ever get another plant, I'll use my good luck to counteract your bad luck."

"Is that a promise?" Adrien held out his fist to her, and Marinette grinned, bumping her own to his.

"Promise."

* * *

 **A/N: Much shorter than the other chapters, but what do you guys think of it? Something lighter before heavier confessions are made…. What does that mean? Find out next time!**


	6. Confessions Pt 3

**Chapter 6: Confessions Pt. 3**

 **A/N: Welcome back, everyone! In the previous chapter, Adrien tells Marinette how terrible he is with plants. Let's see who will do the confessing this chapter.**

* * *

 _April_ , _la troisième_ (the fourth year of collège)

"Why is it only now that we're doing a school project at your place? This room is amazing!" Marinette said. She spun around taking in everything: the arcade cabinets, the foosball table, the rock climbing wall. Was that a second-floor library?!

Adrien set his backpack on his white couch, motioning for her to do the same. "Because your house is above a bakery and comes with an unlimited supply of baked goods. While my house is just kind of empty and cold…."

"Oh, right. Well, your father is doing more to connect with you, so I hope you're not as lonely."

"Well, with you around, I'm never alone. Anyway, this is as good a time as ever to introduce you to someone…" Adrien walked around the room looking high and low. "If I can just find him…"

"Plagg!" Marinette exclaimed.

"Yeah, how did you figure?" Adrien stopped by his desk, peeking under his desk to check if his cat was sitting on top of the warm computer tower.

"Well, who else would you introduce me to? Also, I found him!" Marinette called from across the room.

"Be careful, he doesn't really like…strangers?" He crossed the room towards his bed where Marinette was cuddling with his black cat. Plagg was purring loudly and basked in the attention she gave him. "He's never been this comfortable around anyone besides me."

"I guess I just have magic petting fingers," Marinette said, wiggling her fingers on one hand and continuing to give Plagg a belly rub with her other. "So, you're horrible at taking care of plants, but a cat was okay?"

"My mother gifted Plagg to me for my 7th birthday, and even as a kitten, he would always bug me for food. You can't really ignore him when he meows so loudly. He just eats a ton of food. And cheese, for some reason."

Marinette held Plagg up by his forelegs, pretending to walk him like a human on two legs. "He doesn't look like he's gained a lot of weight."

"Which is surprising, because he's so lazy! I have all these cat toys for him, but he'll just give me a deadpan stare when I so much as shake a bell at him," Adrien grumbled, flicking Plagg's tail with his fingers.

"Maybe he'll be more playful when we have kids," Marinette murmured.

Adrien nodded, answering before fully realizing what Marinette had said. "Yeah, maybe – wait, kids?"

Marinette gasped. "You heard that?" Adrien nodded, wide eyed. "Um, well, kids are great, you know? And when I meant _when_ we have kids, I meant _if_ we have kids, because I know we never talked about the future much and yeah, we're still really young, and who knows if you even want kids, or if being soulmates means being together, but I've just dreamed about having kids since forever and their names! I might be crazy for already having names picked out! Or we could adopt and then we wouldn't name them. Oh! That's if you want kids at all! Um… I'll stop talking now."

Marinette could feel her whole face heating up. She couldn't believe she let something so embarrassing slip out! Adrien had yet to say anything, and his silence was unnerving. Would Adrien refuse to be her soulmate because of this? Or avoid being seen with her in public? Marinette mentally shook her head – no, Adrien wouldn't let something like that get between them, and he promised to stay by her side.

"Adrien, please say something. I'm dying of embarrassment here!" Marinette buried her face into Plagg's fur and looked up at Adrien's face; he was still blinking, so that was a good sign.

At that moment, Adrien shook his head as if waking up from a daydream. "Sorry, was still parsing through what you said."

"Please just forget it!" Marinette groaned. With a _fwhump_ , Marinette dramatically collapsed on the bed, bringing Plagg with her. She lay Plagg on her face and cried, "Just leave me here to die!" Adjusting to his new position, Plagg tried to curl up on her face, but he was too big and slipped off. Meowing in displeasure, Plagg curled up beside Marinette instead.

Adrien smiled and dropped down beside her, sandwiching his cat between them. "Oh, don't be like that. I know we're a bit young to think about the future – marriage, living together, what it means to be soulmates - so we'll table that discussion for another time. I'm still curious, though; what are the names you've picked out?"

Marinette turned towards Adrien and propped her head up on her arm to talk over Plagg. "You really want to know?"

"Curiosity did kill the cat. But satisfaction brought it back," Adrien quipped, copying Marinette's pose. "'Names' means more than one, so how many did you come up with?"

"Three. Louis, Hugo, and Emma. I came up with them before we even met." Marinette closed her eyes and gave a happy sigh. "I imagined a lot of things about my soulmate and me. I hoped that my soulmate would be someone caring and would support my dreams. And when we're older, maybe a house with a room for my sewing."

"That's a nice dream," Adrien murmured, softly so that Marinette didn't hear.

She suddenly opened her eyes and exclaimed, "And a pet. I've always wanted a hamster. Or maybe a dog?"

Adrien gasped and pulled Plagg close to him. "No cat?!"

"Hey, that was before I met you and Plagg! If we're still together, Plagg will definitely live with us."

"And he'll get along with Hugo, Louis, and…"

"Emma," Marinette supplied. "Do you like the names?"

Adrien nodded fervently. "About Emma…how do you feel about Emilie?"

"Emilie?" Marinette thought for a minute. Why did that name sound so familiar? A name that must mean something to Adrien…

"Your mother's name is Emilie," Marinette realized. She reached out and put a comforting hand on Adrien's shoulder. "I would love to honor your mother by using her name."

Adrien's eyes started to tear and gave her a watery grin. "Thanks, Marinette." He sniffed and brushed away a tear. "It means a lot to me."

For a few minutes, they lay there petting Plagg. It was a comforting silence, thinking about the future and even the past. Their homework could wait; Marinette didn't want to disturb this peace quite yet.

"Hey, Marinette. Can I confess something to you?" Adrien asked.

"Of course," she answered, eyes open and expression attentive.

"I… This is difficult for me to say. I-I just miss my mom so much. I haven't cried over her in so long. My father has always been about keeping appearances and being a strong Agreste. But I know that's not healthy. Keeping it all inside." Because he was lying down, the tears that would have trailed down his face instead rolled over his nose and down his other cheek. Adrien sniffed and continued. "She was always there for me, and I miss how warm she made everything. She was like the sun in our lives, and it's just dark now that she's gone."

"Adrien…"

"Sorry. There's just so much I want to say, because I've never had the chance to tell anyone this. Not with my father or Nathalie – no one. I'm afraid that I would forget about her."

Marinette frowned. The circumstances of Adrien's seclusion started because of his family's fame. His safety was a priority, and Adrien was homeschooled for most of his life because of it. Then Emilie's unfortunate death cast a cloud of gloom over the Agrestes. Instead of bringing them together in a time sadness, it wore away the father-son relationship between Gabriel and Adrien. Marinette's heart went out to Adrien.

She scooted closer to Adrien, draping her legs over his and pressing their foreheads together. "I'd love to hear more about your mom, Adrien. She sounds like a wonderful woman, and I want to know more about the person who cared for you, inspired you, and made you into the gentleman you are today."

The corners of his mouth perked up, and his eyes crinkled when he smiled. "You always know what to say, Marinette."

"Not just magic fingers," she wiggled the fingers with the hand she was petting Plagg. "But magic words, too."

* * *

 **A/N: Surprise! Two confessions in one! I hope you caught that! First, Marinette confesses her dreams about the future, with names picked out for her kids and everything! I am a diehard fan of Louis, Hugo, and Emma. Second, Adrien confesses how much he misses his mother, and Marinette comforts him. Sure, it's not a typical 5+1 because I have two confessions in one chapter, but when has that ever stopped me from doing what I want? See you next time!**

 **Also, check me out on DeviantArt, same username, for a drawing associated with this chapter! It's called** ** _Quiet Afternoon._**


	7. Confessions Pt 4

**Chapter 7: Confessions Pt. 4**

 **A/N: Hi, everyone! Hope you've been keeping track of this arc. So far, we're up to four confessions. In the previous chapter, Marinette confesses her dreams of the future while Adrien confesses of missing his mother. I'm very excited for you all to read this chapter, so let's get to it!**

 **On another note, I had this final edited back in November and completely forgot to upload it… My bad! I'd spout some excuses about work, but I just clean forgot.**

* * *

 _July_ , after _la troisième_ (the fourth year of collège)

For Marinette's class, there was no better place to end their time together at Francois Dupont than Deauville, France. After a two-hour train ride from Paris, Marinette and her class arrived at the beach in Deauville, one of the three locations they had narrowed their choices down to for their end of collège summer trip. In September, they would move on to lycée, and even though they would all attend the same one, there was no guarantee that they would be in the same classes. Marinette felt grateful to have become friends and bonded with her fellow classmates – even Chloe. The mayor's daughter had mellowed out and learned the value of being nice to everyone, and even though she didn't always show it, there was a deeper and more sensitive person underneath her arrogant and snooty exterior.

Arriving at the beach, the class split up to do their own thing; they had decided that everyone could spend their day however they wanted (with at least one other person to keep each other safe), and then they would all meet up at the end of the day to catch the train back to Paris. Most of the group decided to settle in at the beach while Chloe and Sabrina wanted to check the boardwalk's shops. Adrien, Ivan, and Nino set up the portable beach umbrellas they had brought. At the same time, Marinette and Mylène laid out beach towels and made sure their bags and coolers were under the shade. Kim and Alix snagged an empty spot on the beach to set up a volleyball net and roped Rose and Nathanael into their game. Juleka, on the other hand, didn't want to become even sweatier than she already was and laid on one of the beach towels to sunbathe.

Marinette rifled through her bag and called out to Alya. "Alya, would you help me with the sunscreen? I can't reach my back." Marinette squeezed some into her hand and held out the bottle.

"You don't want Adrien to help you with this?" Alya smirked and sat behind her friend, slathering the sunscreen on her shoulders and back.

Marinette resisted the urge to swivel around and give her best friend a look of annoyance, so she continued to apply sunscreen to her arms, legs, and torso. "I bet it would look really funny to walk around on the beach with a rainbow-colored back, huh?"

"It would only be for a few minutes, anyway," Alya said. She knew how prone to sunburns Marinette was and made sure to cover every square centimeter of uncovered skin. "So, I'm putting this whole bottle on you, right? You're so pale – do you even go outside?"

Marinette held out her hand for Alya to squeeze more sunscreen into it. "And, no, Alya, I'm not _that_ bad. But I am the palest and burn more easily than all of you. I'd rather not wake up tomorrow red and blistering, thank you very much."

Alya flipped the cap closed and tossed the bottle back into Marinette's tote bag. "Finally done! Let's head into the water!" She playfully slapped Marinette's shoulder, leaving a faint red handprint. "Meet you down there!" Alya grabbed Nino and dragged him towards the waves.

"Hey, wait up!" Marinette cried. She turned to Adrien, who occupied another towel and had just finished putting sunscreen on himself. "Adrien, let's go down to the water with Alya and Nino! I've been waiting for this all year long!"

Marinette stood up and stretched, relieving her body of the remnant of aches from sitting on the train for two hours. She held out her hand to Adrien expecting him to take it, but instead, Adrien glanced to the side nervously. "I think I'm going to take a page out of Juleka's book and relax in the shade. The — uh — sun is pretty bright out. You can go join them without me."

Marinette frowned. "Oh, no way! I'm not going to let you miss out on fun in the sun just because you might get a little darker. You've already put sunscreen on, so what's the problem? You didn't come all the way out here with the class to just sit in the shade, did you?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tick of his and a sure sign that she wouldn't like whatever answer he came up with. "Would you fault me if I said 'yes'?"

Marinette was confused and with furrowed brow stared down at Adrien. There was something he wasn't telling her, and she would get to the bottom of it. "You know what? I think I'll just hang here with you." She nodded to herself and plopped down right next to him. Adrien wasn't expecting her to agree so easily and startled a bit.

"Hey!" They turned their heads towards the call that came the shore. "Are you dudes coming?" Nino yelled and waved for them.

"Not right now!" Marinette answered back, waving them away. Nino shrugged and turned away to tackle Alya into the water.

Marinette laughed at how close those two were. She and Adrien were pretty close, but they couldn't pull off too much PDA without people wondering if they were anything more than soulmates who were good friends. With a happy sigh, Marinette leaned against Adrien's shoulder; she'll settle for this for now. Perhaps they could be more in the future.

"I told you that you can go down into the water with Alya and Nino, Marinette," Adrien said. He could see the way she was eyeing the cool water and felt a little bad that he was keeping her from it.

"I'll go sooner or later. But right now, I feel like you're not telling me something, Adrien. You know, you can always count on me to lend an ear or a shoulder…"

"Who's the one lending the other a shoulder?" Adrien laughed.

"Psh." She leaned more of her weight onto him, and Adrien stuck a hand into the sand to keep from toppling over. After a minute of playfully pushing each other back and forth, they settled down and continued watching their classmates.

"I just don't like the ocean," Adrien whispered. "Bad memories better off forgetting."

"Will you tell me?" Marinette asked, her voice equally hushed. All around them, people were going about their own business, yelling and laughing and talking. But at this moment, with just the two of them, it seemed right to speak softly, lest they disturb their own bubble they created.

Marinette waited patiently; if he decided not to say anything, she wouldn't fault him for that. But they had confessed private things before, and Adrien always seemed to open up during moments like this.

"I was really young. We have a summer house — not too far from here, actually — and every year, we'd go down to the beach and play in the sand and water. My mother and I were out on the rocks one morning, and they were really slippery. She warned me not to let go of her hand, but I saw something in the water and let go of her hand for a second." He slowed down, and his breath shook as he continued.

"I didn't see it, but a huge wave crashed over the rocks and took me with it." Adrien shuddered at the memory. "I didn't know what to do or which way was up.

"I was paralyzed with fear."

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut and took another shuddering breath. His back shook with each inhale and became shallower and quicker. Marinette reached around and hugged him tight. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to. You've already told me so much," Marinette said. She trailed her fingers up and down his back, tracing rainbow patterns and doing her best to calm him down and slow his breathing.

Slowly, his breathing became regular, and Adrien opened his eyes again. "Thank you, Marinette, for always being here for me." He cracked a smile – the first smile she had seen on him since they arrived at the beach. "Well, the story just ends with my mother fishing me out of the water, but since then, I haven't been around the ocean."

Marinette nodded. "I understand now, and I'm glad I can be someone you can confess your fears to. You're that person for me, you know. Anyway, I won't force you to go down into the water with us; we can have plenty of fun staying on the sand!

"How does a game of volleyball sound?"

Adrien took a deep breath of salty air and let it fill his lungs. When their class had first planned out this summer trip, he was hesitant to agree going to the beach. He thought about making up an excuse to get out of it, but knowing Marinette, she would postpone the trip until he had a free day. Since meeting her, Marinette had been a cheerful support he could lean on, a friend through thick and thin, and a shining light when he was at his lowest.

Adrien turned to look into expecting eyes. So blue, so clear. Like the ocean, but he wouldn't mind drowning in that sea of blue. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, Marinette. Let's go!"

hr/hr

Marinette shifted the bag of snacks from one shoulder to the other as she walked back to her friends. Kim had shoved a handful of bills into her hands and pushed Marinette off towards the boardwalk; she had lost a blindfolded race against him, so her punishment was to go for a snack run. Nathanael offered to go with her to help carry back the food, but she emptied out her tote bag and said that she could handle it herself. Marinette was starting to regret not taking Nathanael's offer; while most of the snacks were chips, several soda cans weighed down the bag, and her shoulder was starting to ache.

"What's a pretty girl like you carrying a bag that heavy? Let me help you." A voice to her side called out and Marinette turned towards it. A guy around her age walked towards her. His brown hair was left wavy from the salt water, and he had a beach towel slung over a shoulder.

Already, Marinette was feeling a sense of annoyance fill her chest, and she tried to keep a displeased expression off her face. It had been awhile since someone had tried flirting with her. In Paris, she was recognizable enough, and for fear of upsetting someone close to a celebrity, Marinette was left alone. Outside of Paris, though, she didn't have that same safety net. "I'm alright, but thank you for the offer. I can handle this myself. My friends are actually expecting me back with these, so if you don't mind…" Marinette shuffled around the guy, but he slid back in front of her, blocking the way.

"Don't be like that, I'm more than happy to accompany you," the guy said. "By the way, I'm James. What can I call you by?"

"I'd rather you not call me anything; I really need to get going, _James_ ," she stressed his name exasperatedly. Could he not take a hint? But still James was dogged in his pursuit.

"You know, you kind of look like the girl I've been dreaming about – my soulmate! I bet if we touched, there'd be rainbow trails!" James exclaimed. He reached out before she could evade him, and he grabbed her wrist. Of course, there were no rainbow trails, but still, James was not dissuaded. "Pity. But there are plenty of people who date and marry who aren't soulmates. You think you can give me a chance to prove that we have a connection despite not being soulmates?"

Throughout his talking, Marinette was steadily growing angrier and angrier, and she finally had enough when he had the gall to ask her out. She wrenched her arm out of her grasp and in one quick motion twisted his arm behind his back. This attracted quite the scene when James began yelping in pain. "Listen, James, I have had enough of your shameless flirting. Take a hint – no means no! I'll let you go if you say you'll leave this beach and stop bothering random girls."

"Urk – no need to get – ack – physical there!" James gritted his teeth through the pain when Marinette applied more pressure. "Fine, I'll leave!"

Marinette let go of his arm, and James rounded on her. He had been humiliated by this girl in front of so many people and from further away, he could hear his buddies laugh and holler at him. James snarled, "No one – and I mean absolutely NO ONE – makes fun of me like this. You are going to get what's coming to you – "

"Marinette!"

Marinette and James looked up to see who had interrupted her. Her heart started beating faster when she saw Adrien shouldering his way through the crowd that had gathered. Marinette was partially relieved to see him - only partially because she actually really wanted to teach this guy a lesson in front of everyone. "Is this guy bothering you?"

"Oh, does this guy think he can be a hero and pretend to save her? Listen buddy, this isn't any of your business, and if you're just pretending to know her, it's best if you turn around and leave."

Adrien smirked. "Turn around and leave? Isn't that what she told you to do? And as for knowing her, why don't we be the judge of that?" Adrien offered his hand to Marinette, but she wanted to make a point. Instead of clasping his hand, she hooked her arm around his and leaned onto his shoulder. From his shoulder to wrist and from her cheek to elbow, rainbow patches lit their skin. The iridescent sheen sparkled in the bright summer sun, and around them, people gasped.

Someone had the smarts to ask out loud, "Isn't that Adrien Agreste?" and James blanched at hearing it. Though not from Paris, everyone in France knew the name, and if this guy really was him, he made a BIG mistake in messing with Adrien's soulmate.

"Whoops, looks like the cat's out of the bag," Adrien said. Marinette _tsked_ him, and he turned back to James. "Now, are we going to have a problem, or are you and your friends going to leave? I know what I would do if I was you."

Turning red with embarrassment, James quickly pushed his way through the crowd, leaving with a, "Bah, who wants a daddy's boy's soulmate, anyway?" Adrien bristled at the remark and made to go after him, but Marinette held him back.

"He's not worth it, Adrien."

"But you are, Marinette."

She blushed at that, another compliment that made her heart jump in her chest. It was happening more frequently, and she couldn't deny what it meant anymore.

"Uh, wow, um. Th-thank you. For the compliment and for coming to my rescue," Marinette stuttered out.

"I'm your soulmate; I've always got your back. You should be treated like the princess you are. Jerks like him have no right to even look in your direction," Adrien said. Gently, he tugged her back down the boardwalk towards their friends. Adrien relieved Marinette of her heavy bag, but never let go of her arm. He waved to some people who stuck around after that argument but declined to talk to anyone or sign autographs. "Sorry, this is a vacation for me," he replied.

"This is definitely going to be picked up by the paparazzi, isn't it?" Marinette asked.

"Probably. But it's another story of the handsome gentleman saving his lady." Adrien smiled and bumped his head against hers.

"Oh, am I your lady now?" She asked coyly. Marinette tried to be smooth, but her cheeks still flared red at what he was insinuating.

Now Adrien was the one to start stuttering, and he had equally rosy cheeks. "I mean – I – yeah? If you want, that is – you don't have to!"

"If you're asking if I'll be your girlfriend, my answer is yes," Marinette answered. She really hoped that was what he was asking her.

"Yes? Yes! Oh, thank goodness!" Adrien exclaimed. In his excitement, he swooped down and placed a kiss on her cheek. Marinette felt his happiness, too, and before her courage failed her, she stopped them for a second to stand on her toes and kiss him in the same spot on his cheek.

They resumed their walk back down to the beach, and their wide grins highlighted the rainbow imprint of a kiss on their cheeks. In their heads, they had the exact same thought.

 _I'm in love with this boy._

 _I'm in love with this girl._

* * *

 **A/N:** There we go! That was my 5+1 story arc! How was it? Here are the confessions again:

1\. Marinette to Adrien: Used to be afraid of heights. (Ch. 4)

2\. Adrien to Marinette: Can't keep plants alive. (Ch. 5)

3\. Marinette to Adrien: Plans for the future (house, pet(s), and kids' names) (Ch. 6)

4\. Adrien to Marinette: Still misses his mother. (Ch. 6)

5\. Adrien to Marinette: Afraid of the water (Ch. 7)

+1: To themselves: I love this boy/girl. (Ch. 7)

Which part was your favorite? Mine was writing the whole Eiffel Tower scene, but I also loved the confessions to themselves, because I get to write Marinette and Adrien showing up that jerk. And so ends the second arc of this story! When I first started writing this AU, I never planned to go so in depth with their growing relationship; this arc was never supposed to happen! But I was never satisfied with how sudden the next part of the story went; there was no details about how they grew to love each other and whatnot. Using this format, 5+1, along with a timeline to plan out the time skips really helped me develop this story, and I'm really proud of myself. This whole arc was 6k words long and was planned to be uploaded all together, but my beta convinced me that each part was fine separated, too.

I'm glad to see everyone's support, so I hope you'll all continue to show your love for this story! See you next time!


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